Hello, dedicated caretaker. We Echeveria are a resilient but expressive bunch. When we are unhappy, we show it. Our language is one of color, texture, and form. To help you understand, here is a guide to our most common complaints from our perspective.
This is our greatest torment! Our roots are not like those of thirsty ferns; they need to breathe. When we are forced to sit in constantly wet soil, our roots suffocate and begin to rot. This rot then travels up our stem, turning our once-plump, firm leaves into mushy, brown, or blackened blobs. They may fall off at the slightest touch. If our center, our growing point, becomes soft and dark, it is a dire emergency. Please, only offer us a drink when our soil is completely dry, and ensure our pot has a clear escape route for excess water.
We crave the sun. It is what gives us our compact, beautiful rosette shape and often our vibrant colors. When we do not receive enough light, we must stretch and strain towards any available source. This causes our stem to elongate abnormally, our leaves to become spaced out, and our form to become loose and leggy. We lose our signature color, fading to a pale green. We are not trying to become a vine; we are desperately signaling for you to move us to a brighter spot, preferably a south-facing window where we can bask for several hours a day.
While we love the sun, a sudden, intense exposure can be just as harmful as too little. If we have been living in lower light and are abruptly placed in harsh, direct summer sun, we can get scorched. This appears as crispy, brown, or white patches on the tops of our leaves, usually on the side facing the sun. These scars are permanent. Please acclimate us slowly to brighter conditions over a week or two to allow us to build up a protective tan.
We can play host to tiny invaders that see us as a meal. Mealybugs appear as small, white, cottony masses in our leaf axils, sucking our sap and weakening us. Aphids cluster on our new, tender growth. These pests leave behind a sticky residue that can attract sooty mold. Please inspect us regularly, especially under our leaves. If you spot these pests, isolate us from other plants immediately and gently remove them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or apply a suitable insecticidal soap.
We are not heavy feeders, but we do require some nourishment, especially if we have been in the same soil for a long time. A lack of nutrients might not be as dramatic as rot, but it shows in our growth. Our new leaves may be smaller, our growth may stall, and our lower, older leaves may yellow and wither at an accelerated rate. A diluted, balanced fertilizer formulated for succulents, applied sparingly during our active growing season (spring and summer), is all we need to thrive.
